The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to reject gun rights advocates’ appeal to overturn President Donald Trump’s national ban on bump stocks.
On Monday, the ruling was announced on the bump stocks — attachments that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire more rounds of ammunition quicker.
Justice Neil Gorsuch stated that he agreed with the court’s decision. However, he did provide a statement expressing concerns and criticism about the lower court’s deference to a federal agency and the Trump administration.
The latest ruling comes less than one year after Trump’s temporary ban. The controversy surrounding bump stocks increased following the Las Vegas massacre of 2017.
In October of 2017, a gunman opened fire from a hotel room shooting into a crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. A total of 58 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured in the massacre.
Further investigation into the shooting revealed the gunman had attached bump stocks to assault-style rifles which enabled the person to fire more than 1,100 rounds in less than 11 minutes.
When the Trump administration revisited the laws in place under the Obama administration, bump stocks were still legal. At the time, Trump took to Twitter to criticize his predecessor for the devices remaining legalized.
“Obama Administration legalized bump stocks,” the president tweeted, “BAD IDEA. As I promised, today the Department of Justice will issue the rule banning BUMP STOCKS with a mandated comment period. We will BAN all devices that turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns.”
Obama Administration legalized bump stocks. BAD IDEA. As I promised, today the Department of Justice will issue the rule banning BUMP STOCKS with a mandated comment period. We will BAN all devices that turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2018
Although the proposed ban was met with opposition from gun owners and Second Amendment rights advocates, Trump’s revised regulation ultimately prevailed. The new regulation ordered that owners either destroy or surrender all bump stocks.